Trouble light guard with detachable reflector



Jan. 20, 1953 L. N. BAENZIGER TEouBLE LIGHT GUARD WITH DETACHABLE REFLECTOR Filed Aug. 24, 1950 aa I- .9 1 iiomeys Leo .9

Patented Jan. 20, 1953 TROUBLE LIGHT GUARD WITH DETACH= ABLE REFLECTOR Leonard N. Baenziger, Paw'tucketyR. 1., as'signor to Royal Electric Company, Inc., Pawtucket, R. 1., a corporation of Rhoda Island Application August 24, 1950, Serial No. 181,244

2 Claims. 1.

This invention relates to" portable extension lights of the'type commonlykn'o'wn as trouble lights, and pertains more particularly to improvements in trouble light guards.

Such extension lights ordinarily comprises a handle equipped with a conventional lamp socket and an elongate extension cord by which the portable light may be connected to a remote electrical outlet, and the lamp bulb received by the socket is protected by a wire guard or cage provided on one side with a reflecting shield or shade. In the ordinary trouble lights heretofore available, it has been difiicult and troublesome to remove and replace the lamp bulb.

It is accordingly the principal purpose of this invention to provide a guard and shield which may be quickly and easily opened and closed to permit replacement of the lamp bulb, yet which is simple and economical to manufacture and provides the desired protection to the bulb and shielding of its glare, while the trouble light is in use.

The novel features and advantages of the improved light guard will be apparent from the following description of the recommended embodiment of the invention illustrated on the accompanying drawings, and will be pointed out in the appended claims. It will be understood, however, that the structural details of the trouble light herein illustrated and described may be varied to suit particular purposes, without departing from the essence of the invention as set forth in said claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a trouble light equipped with the improved guard, the lamp bulb being shown in broken lines;

Fig. 2 is a side'elevation looking to the left of Fig. 1;

v Fig, 3 is a transverse section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional detail on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

In the particular embodiment chosen for the purpose of illustration, the trouble light comprises the handle H which may be made of rubber or other insulating material. One end l2 of the handle is recessed and slotted if desired, to receive a conventional lamp socket I 3, and provided with switch buttons l4; and the handle may be axially orificed to hold the end of an extension cord (not shown) attached to the lamp socket and connectable to a remote electrical outlet.

The improved guard comprises complemental cage and shield members, each forming substantially one-ha f of t e p tector for the lamp u and disposed at opposite sides thereof. The cage consists of the longitudinal wires I5'and the semicircumferential wires It. The inner ends of wires !5 are soldered or otherwise attached to a collar piece I1, and the outer end of one of said wires is extended and crooked to form a hook M3 for suspending the trouble light.

The shield member may be made of opaque metal or other rigid material and consists of the base part it] and the separable shade or reflector 29. The base it has a collar portion 2! which cooperates with the collar piece I! to clamp the guard on the handle end I2, as shown, both of said collar elements having outturned ears receiving bolts 22 or other detachable fastenings. The outer end of the semi-conical base [9 has a semi-cylindrical rim or flange 23 formed with an outwardly pressed rib 24.

The reflecting shade 29 is generally semi-cylindrical and its inner end portion has an outwardly pressed groove 25 adapted to receive and engage with the rib 24 on flange 23 when the shade end overlaps said flange in normal, closed position, to restrain longitudinal displacement of the closed shade. The outer end of the shade is domed at 25 and provided with a tab 2'! apertured to receive the wire hook 18, whereby the shade may be easily applied to or removed from the guard by slipping it on or off the hook. In order to hold the shade in closed and locked position as illustrated, a spring clamp 28 is soldered to the inner side of the shade and the resilient arms 29 of the clamp are formed with hooks 38 which releasably engage the wires l5 at the sides of the cage, when the shield is applied to the base flange 23 by engaging the rib 24 in groove 25 as aforesaid.

When the shade is to be displaced or removed to open the guard and permit replacement of the lamp bulb 31, the clamp arms 29 are pressed inwardly by the fingers to release the locking hooks 30, and the shade may then be swung outwardly while tab 21 remains on the hook H3, or removed from the hook if desired. It will be understood that the shield base l9 remains in place and that the collar bolts 22 need not be removed unless the guard as a whole is to be detached from the handle H.

A trouble light guard constructed as above described, is simple and economical to manufacture. easy to assemble, and durable and efficient in use. The separable, two-part shield afiords adequate light reflection and glare shade, as well as protection, from end to end of the guard on one side thereof, and the wire cage provides adequate protection to the lamp bulb on its opposite side. Dis- 3 placement of the separable shade part 20 is easy and convenient, providing adequate access to the interior of the guard, and the shade may be quickly replaced and locked to close the guard.

I claim:

1. A trouble light comprising a handle and a guard having complemental cage and shield members each forming approximately one longitudinal half of the guard, the cage consisting of Wires and having a fixed collar piece at one end thereof and a hook at its opposite end, the shield comprising a base having a collar portion cooperating with said collar piece for attaching the guard to the handle and having a substantially semi-cylindrical flange remote from said collar portion, and a temporarily displaceable and also completely removable shade having an inner end portion normally overlapping said flange and having an outer end portion apertured loosely to receive said hook for supporting said outer end of the shade, and a clamp fixed to the shade and having hooked, resilient arms releasably engaging 4 certain of said cage wires to lock the shade in closed position with its inner end portion removably engaging the exterior of the base flange, said shade being displaceable from said flange while supported by said hook after the clamp arms are released from said wires.

2. A trouble light as described in claim 1, said base flange and said overlapping portion of the shade having interfitting rib and groove portions for restraining longitudinal displacement of the shade while said clamp hooks are engaged.

LEONARD N. BAENZIGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,315,494 Heinrich Sept. 9, 1919 1,435,133 Amos et al Nov. 7, 1922 1,953,623 McGill Apr. 3, 1934 

